In this short instructional video, manager coach Brian Walch addresses the common discomfort managers feel about giving feedback and the fact that many employees receive insufficient, meaningful feedback. He cites research showing that regular, meaningful feedback boosts engagement, yet only about 25% of employees get it weekly. Walch urges managers to rewire their mindset to view feedback primarily as a positive tool, aiming for a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative comments. He introduces two practical frameworks: the SBI model (Situation, Behavior, Impact) for structuring any feedback, and the IDEA model (Improvement, Direction, Empowerment, Action) for growth‑oriented conversations. He provides brief examples, explains how each step works, and suggests reflective questions managers can ask themselves to become more proactive and effective leaders. The video concludes with an invitation to read a related Alaska Business Magazine article and to schedule a free strategy call at shiftfocus.com.
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Managers tell me I feel awkward giving feedback or I don't think it's going to be helpful. So they don't give feedback. In fact, you probably don't give enough feedback to your employees. Research shows that when employees receive regular, meaningful feedback, they're more engaged. But only about a quarter of employees are actually getting feedback, that kind of meaningful feedback on a weekly basis. So let me guess, when you heard that we're talking about feedback, you probably thought things like performance improvement, behavior change, or some kind of critique. But I want you to rewire your brain when you think feedback. I want you to think positive feedback whenever that topic is mentioned. Because you should aim to give positive feedback at a 5 to 1 ratio to negative feedback, which means you're finding five things to comment on, five positive things to give feedback on for every one negative thing gives you lots of opportunities to practice. And I have two frameworks I want to share with you today really quickly. Once you've used these frameworks a couple times, you're going to feel more confident about delivering feedback in a wide range of options or a wide range of situations. The first model is, in my opinion, the easiest one. It's situation, Behavior, Impact or sbi. And it's a framework that you can use to structure your feedback. So situation is simply where you set the context for where the behavior you observed occurred. So this morning at the project status meeting, Bob, while we were waiting for the client to show up, that's the situation. The behavior then is simply described the behavior you observed in objective way. You looked at everyone in the room, you smiled and then you said hello. And then the last I is impact. So just simply state the impact of the behavior. Everyone became relaxed and it made for a pleasant and welcoming environment for the client. So that SBI framework, it can be used for negative or positive behavior. And once you're comfortable using it, you'll find it's a good framework for giving timely and direct feedback. Now another framework that is useful, especially when you're doing more growth oriented discussions where maybe an employee has a need for an area of improvement is the IDEA framework. IDEA simply stands for improvement, Direction, empowerment and action. And just really briefly, improvement is the area or behavior that you want them to improve in. So this again should be specific and stated objectively. Then direction is the clear guidance and direction to them on what needs to be improved and very importantly, what success looks like. Empowerment then is coaching that employee on the talents and resources they have available to be successful in making that change. An action is a collaborative discussion about the actions they can take to address the feedback, along with a commitment to take those actions. Now this is a really valuable framework and as you practice it and implement it, you may find that it opens up opportunities for you to level up your management. You'll find you'll start asking yourself questions like how do I define better what success is for this employee? What is the best way to empower the employee so they are committed to change and is there a proactive way to use this model? So I'm not always doing it in a reactive and performance improvement mode. And those are great ways to ask yourself questions and continue developing your leadership skills. So I hope today helped propel your success as a manager. Now, if you want more information on feedback, I wrote an article in the Alaska Business Magazine that has expands on this topic and just send me a message. I'd be happy to send you that article. If you want to talk more about this topic or other topics related to management, then I encourage you to schedule a free call with me. Simply go to shiftfocus.com strategycall and book a call today. Thanks and we'll see you on the next video.
